Horseshoe-holder.



No. 664,225. Patented ne. I8, |900. E. nuevas. HORSESHOE HOLDER. 'Y

(Application med July 21, 1900.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT QEEIQE.

ERNST F. MEYER, OF WAVERLY PARK, NEl/V JERSEY.

HORSESHOE-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 664,226, dated December 18, 1900.

Application filed July 21, 1900.

To all whom it mag/ conccrm Beit known that I, ERNST F. MEYER, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Waverly Park, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horseshoe-Holders; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a tool for picking up and holding a horseshoe while fitting to the horses foot. It will be understood that shoesare usually fitted hot, and it has been customary to hold the same by means of a punch driven into one of the nail-holes. This, however, is apt to destroy the symmetry of the nail-hole, and, moreover, it affords but a precarious hold on the shoe, so that the shoe drops off the punch before fitting is completed. By myinvention the shoe is firmly held, no part of the tool projects beyond the base of the shoe, different sizes of shoes may be grasped, and various other advantages and results are secured, some .of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved horseshoe-holder and in the arrangements and combinations of parts of the same, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth and iinally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate` corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure 1 is a central sectional view, as on line Fig. 4:, showing my invention in gripping position as applied to a horseshoe; and Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts relaxed or open. Fig. 3 is a side view looking edgewise of the jaws, and Fig. 4 is a plan.

In said drawings, a indicates the body portion of the tool, said body having a cylindrical upper portion a and an oppositelybeveled or wedge-shaped lower end a2. Said Serial No. 24,392. (No model.)

body a is hollow, as shown, and is preferably cast in two longitudinal halves held together at the lower or wedge-shaped end a2 by a screw. The upper end of the cylindrical portion ct of the body is exteriorly screwthreaded, as at a3, and a cap c is screwed thereon, which cap serves both to close the end of the body portion and to hold the two Said cap has oppositely-l plun ger outward, resting at its lower end for this purpose upon the spider@ and at its opposite end pressing against a suitable stop b' on the plunger. The outer end of the plun.- ger carries a head b2, which serves as a pressure-piece and also to limit the passage of the plunger into the body portion of the tool. Thus by grasping the -tool with two fingers pulling upward on the ears c', the head b2 pressing against the ball of the thumb and the body portion of the tool being directed away from the palm between the fingers, the plunger may be conveniently reciprocated in its slideway. 1

To the inner or lower end of the plunger are pivoted jaws g, which lie in the plane of the wedge-shaped end of the body aand project therefrom, said projecting jaws being adapted to swing apart or toward each other in the slot-like end 0,2 .of the tool-body to release or grip a horseshoe. Preferably the plunger is near its end grooved or recessed at opposite sides, and in said grooves the leverlike jaws g are laid and pivoted, as at g. Said jaws are shaped on ogee curves, the ou ter gripping ends being conveXly curved or bowed apart, as at g2, and the upper ends g3 curving oppositely apart above the point of pivoting. Said upper ends at their outer edges lie against beveled or inclined projections h on the inner walls of the body portion of the tool, the

faces of said projections converging downwardly, and thus as the plunger b is forced inward or downward against the power of the IOO j at the inner edges of the jaws.

springe the diverging ends g3 of the lever-like jaws are forced together or toward each other by the inclines t. This opens or spreads the outer ends g2 of the jaws to receive between them the side portion of a horseshoe, as indicated at in Fig. l.. Upon releasing the plunger b the springf at once restores it to or nearly to normal position, drawing the outer ends g2 of the jaws into the body of the tool and forcing them strongly together upon the horseshoe as their curved outer edges gl slide upon the end walls co4 of the wedgeshaped end of the body. The horseshoe can then be lifted about, set down, and picked up again by means of the tool as a handle.

To prevent the horseshoe passing so far in between the jaws g as to permit the extremities of said jaws to project beyond the shoe and interfere with fitting upon the horses foot, I have provided a stop plate or bar j. This bar is hung across the space between the jaws by links k, each pivoted at one end to the bar and at the other end to a jaw, and the ends of the barj slide in recesses or grooves Thus as the jaws are spread wider to receive a heavy and wide shoe the plate or seat j aut-omatically adjusts itself to the increased thickness of such a shoe.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new isl. In a horseshoe-holder, the combination of a tubular body portion fiattened at one end and exteriorly screw-threaded at the other and being in two halves, screws holding said halves together at the attened end, a cap screwed upon the other end and centrally perforated, a plungersliding in the body portion and normally held projecting through the cap by a spring, an exterior head on said plunger for the palm of the hand and lugs at the sides of the body portion for the fingers, jaws pivoted to the inner end of the plunger and protruding from the flattened end of the body portion, and inclines on the inside of the body portion engaging the inner ends of the jaws and adapted to move them together or apart as the plunger slides out or in, substantially as set forth.

2. In a horseshoe-holder, the combination of a tubular body portion flattened at one end and threaded at the opposite end, the said body portion being in halves on a plane parallel to the sides of the flattened portion, a plunger sliding in said body portion and held normally projecting from the threaded end of the body portion by a spring, a cap screwed onto said threaded end and providing finger-pieces at its opposite sides, jaws pivoted to the inner end of the plunger and projecting at the flattened end of the body portion, and projections on the inside of the body portion adapted to engage said jaws as the plunger slides and cause them to open or close, substantially as set forth.

3. In a horseshoe-holder, the combination with a hollow body portion, a reciprocating plunger therein, and jaws projecting through the open end of the body and adapted to open and close as the plunger reciprocates, of a stop plate or rest arranged between the project-ing portions of said jaws, links pivotally connecting said plate to the jaws at points nearer the body portion whereby as the jaws spread the plate moves relatively to said jaws toward the body portion, and means forguiding said movement o1' the plate in a straight line, substantially as set forth.

4. In a horseshoe-holder, the combination with the hollow body, a sliding plunger in said body, jaws pivoted to said plunger and projecting from one end of the body, and means for opening and closing said jaws as the plunger slides, ofa stop-plate transversely disposed between the jaws and linked thereto, whereby when said jaws separate or come together the stop-plate moves longitudinally therebetween, said plate having projections sliding in recesses or grooves and serving to hold the plate in proper transverse position while it slides longitudinally, substantially as set forth.

5v The herein-described horseshoe-holder, comprising a hollow body portion formed of two halves, each havingits one end beveled 95 from the round sideinward and its other end screw-threaded, the said halves being laid together and a screw passed through the said beveled ends, a cap screwed on the threaded end of the body portion and being centrally 10o perforated, a spring-controlled plunger sliding in said body portion, and projecting through the cap, and jaws fulcrumed on the inner end of the plunger and projecting'from the body portion and movable toward and 105 from each other as the plunger reciprocates, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with ahorseshoe-holder having a hollow body portion, a reciprocating plunger in said body portion, and jaws pro- 11o jecting from said plunger through the open end of the body and adapted to automatically approach, or separate from, each other as the plunger reciprocates, of a stop plate or rest lying across the space between the jaws, and 115 links each pivoted at one end to said plate and at the other end to a jaw, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of 12o June, 1900.

ERNST F. MEYER.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. PELL, C. B. PITNEY. 

